Poster support



W. R. JOHNS POSTER SUPPORT April 18, 1933.

Filed Dec. 10, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l gjvwmtoz: Wz'ierffiizif W. R. JOHNS POSTER SUPPORT April 18, 1933 Filed Dec. 10, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 acmm s.

Patented Apr. 18, 1933 PATENT OFFICE WILIBERT It. JOHNS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS v POSTER SUPPORT Application filed December 10, 1931. Serial No. 580,060.

My invention relates to paper posters of the type which are rolled up and mailed in a tube to stores, displayrooms, and the like to be set. up in a window, on the floor or a counter, and my main object is to provide a age.

novel support for posters of this kind which employs the tube in which the posters are mailed. f

A further object of the inventlon is to eliminate the separate or special support usually contained with the poster in the tube, thereby lightening the latter to such an extent as to secure a-material saving 1n post- A still further object of the invention is to employ the mailing tube as a backing for. the poster, and supplement the same by an easel Prop 7 Another object of the-invention is to m- 0 corporate in the support means for stretching mentioned;

. Fig. 2 is a magnified'sectional perspective view of the tube with its ends opened out, the terminal-and median portions of the tube being shown fragmentally Fig. 8 is a perspective view'from the rear a poster set up by means of the invention; Fig. 4; is amagnified and fragmental View of'the showingin Fig. 3, and taken at the upper and lower terminals and at an intermediate point.

F ig. 5 is a v1ew similar to Flg. 2, and showing a modification; and

Fig.6- IS a view similar to Fig. 4', showing the poster. set up by means of the modification. I a

In mailing out posters, it has been the practice to enclose in the mailing tube, some form of support or easel. One form is a collapsed cardboard device, while another form is a metallic device. While these expedients may serve efl'iciently forthe support of the poster in erected position and with an easel tilt, it is significant that the weight of the support as contained in the mailing tube causes the postage to be considerable and expensive for an article which is not sold but sent free. Usually, the item is in the parcel post class and therefore requires not only an initially higher postage, but more postage if the zone of destination is farther away. I have endeavored to depart from the above difliculty by providing a mailing device which requires no separate support for the poster to be mailed therewith, and is so light as to require but a small amount of postage without distinction as to zone, encouraging advertising by poster. I

By specific reference to the drawings, 10 denotes a typical paste board mailing tube carrying extended paper ends 11, which are designed to be folded and tucked into the ends of the tube after the poster has been inserted therein so as to form end closures for the tube. While the mailing tube is shown as a container or housing of round shape it is to be understood that the configuration may be square, hexagonal, or of any other desired form.

Fig.2 shows the paper ends in extended or open form; also, a portion of the rolled up poster 12 is shown in this figure. It will be noted that the ends of the poster are reinforced on the back by cross strips 13, these being of cardboard. A poster of this description is standard, but for the purpose of my invention, I fit the top and bottom of the poster at the middle with rivet buttons 14, each of these projecting slightly from the back of the poster, as indicated in the upper portion of Fig. 4.

Before describing the manner in which I use the tube as a support for the unrolled poster, it is proper to mention I also employ an ordinary wood stick 15 as a prop, this stick being beveled to a point at one end as indicated at 1504. Thus, when mailing out a poster, the stick is inserted between the convolutions of the rolled up poster, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2, before the ends of the mailing tube are closed, this being an easy method of mailing the stick with the poster.

In applying the mailing tube to serve as a support, it is set up vertically behind the straightened or unrolled poster as indicated in Fig. 3. The tube is substantially as long as the poster is high, and the upper portions of the tube apply directly to the backs of the reinforced strips 13. The lower one of the contacting portions of the tube is cut with a narrow slot 10a, and the-tube is caused to straddle the neck of the lower rivet button 14 as clearly shown in the lower portion of Fig. 4. The upper contacting portion of the tube has an opening 106 of a size to permit the passage of the head of the upper rivet button 14, which is correspondingly located. However, the opening 106 is extended laterally with a rising passage 100 which terminates in a smaller opening 10d, having a drop 106. By twisting the tube in the direction noted by the arrow in the upper portion of Fig. 4, the floor of the passage 100 will be caused to press upwardly in the nature of a cam upon the neck of the rivet button until the opening 10d is reached, when the rivet button will recede to set in the drop 10c. The poster is thus not only locked to the tube by the headed rivet buttons, but has undergone a stretching movement by the action of the passage 100 as described, so that when the fastening has been completed, the poster is taut and firm. Needless to say, the slot 10a and small opening 10d are longitudinally alined, in order that the tube may be straight when the poster has been fastened to it.

' At the above juncture, the pointed end 1511 of the stick 15 is made to perforate the back of the tube at a suitable height and to enter the same so as to abut the front of the tube flatly, as clearly indicated in Fig. 4. The stick is thus firmly lodged with its upper end in the tube, and may be extended in a rearwardly inclined position as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 to serve as a prop for the mounted poster.

Relative to themodification, I intend the same for posters having metal top and bottom terminals. As indicated in Figs. 5 and 6 this type of terminal consists of a metallic strip 20 clinched to the wing of the poster sheet and presenting a free flat edge 20a along the rear side. Thus, this type of strip because of its narrow width and involved construction does not lend itself to the application of the rivet button employed in my main embodiment; however, I make use of the free edge 20a aforesaid instead.

In applying the tube 10 to the metallic strip 20. I make no alteration in the tube itself. Instead, I apply a spring clip 21 on each end of the tube, these clips being in longitudinal alinement and extending outwardly with tongues 21a.

The nature of the clips 21 is to firmly grip the ends of the tube, and when the latter is to be applied to the unrolled poster, the tube is positioned vertically, as in the revious instance, and its lower tongue 21a inserted between the wing of the lower reinforcing strip 20 and the stock of the poster, this being, of course, done at the center of the poster. Then, the upper clip is slid upwardly to a suflicient extent to lodge its tongue within the wing of the upper poster strip 20, enough pressure being applied to draw the poster into taut and firm condition. It is understood that the tube in this instance is somewhat shorter than the height of the poster, in order to permit suflicient travel for either of the clips in order to firmly engage the top and bottom of the poster. The poster is now ready to be propped up in the same manner as previously described.

It is significant that in both forms of my invention, the mailing tube forms a backing and support for the unrolled poster. Where a tube comes with paper caps as sometimes occurs, no change in the tube is required other than described; however, where the paper ends 11 are employed, it is preferable that the bases thereof shall not be pasted to the tube at the very ends of the latter, but left free of the ends of the tube for about a half inch and then pasted down, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. By this expedient, when the tube is received at the destination and the paper ends are torn away, fragments thereof will not interfere with the ends of the tube, but the latter will be clean and accessible either in the case where they are perforated in advance or where the clip has to be applied.

It will be evident from the above description that I have provided by simple means a poster support which is but a simple development of the light and inexpensive mailing tube, and it therefore does away with the cost of a special or separate support and the added mailing expense occasioned thereby. Also, the utter simplicity of either form of my invention lends itself particularly to posters of this type, which are intended to be produced as cheaply as possible and to be in use but a short time, such as a number of days or weeks.

I claim 1. A display poster comprising a sheet, buttons at the end portions thereof and projecting from the rear side, and a tube applied to the latter and formed with openings at its end portions to receive the buttons, one of the openings being an open slot by way of which the corresponding end of the tube straddles the neck of the related button, and the other opening being of a size for the passage of the button head and extended laterally with a narrow portion terminating with an offset to receive the button neck and lock the button from separation from the tube.

2. The structure of claim 1, said narrow portion progressing with a slight departure from the opposite end of the tube whereby to stretch the sheet on the tube before the corresponding button is locked to the latter.

3. A display poster comprising a sheet, a tube applied to the rear side of the sheet, means engaging the sheet and the intimate portion of the tube wall to secure the sheet to the tube, the tube having a perforation in the wall portion remote from the sheet, and a prop stick inserted with one end through said perforation and bearing with such end against said intimate wall portion, the course of the prop stick being inclined relative to the tube, and said end of the prop stick being bevel pointed to seat the beveled face flatly against said intimate wall portion.

4. A display poster comprising a sheet,

buttons at the end portions thereof and projecting from the rear side, and a tube applied to the latter and formed with recesses at its end portions, the recesses being positioned to receive the buttons for securing the sheet to the tube, and paper wrappers extended from the tube ends and secured to the tube inwardly of the zones of the recesses.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILBERT R. JOHNS. 

